Pan & Minerva from 1916 ~ Two MacNeil “Bas Reliefs” from a Century Ago in San Francisco
ByPAN MINERVA
Two bas relief panels by Hermon A. MacNeil have been discovered. PAN on the left – MINERVA on the right.
They have remained virtually hidden for over 100 years.
Their original installation and images are verified, but their continued deposition as of 2021 remains uncertain.
The above article from 1916 accompanied the the photos of Pan and Minerva in The International Studio, Vol 59, p LVIII.
Hermon A. MacNeil sculpted these bas reliefs over a century ago. Documentation of Pan and Minerva has appeared in recent searches by the webmaster.
Information discovered in recent weeks include:
- A Pair of Bas-reliefs of PAN and MINERVA
- Material: 2 terra cotta reliefs
- Dimensions: 2 1/2 feet by 4 feet
- Mr. Hill Tolerton, Owner
- William C. Hays, Architect
- Location: 540 Sutter St., San Francisco
- Building originally designed as an Art establishment
- Made in Italian Renaissance style with an upper mezzanine level
- Adjoining Courtyard patterned after that of the Italian Building in the late Pan-Pacific Exposition of 1915
- The 2 reliefs no longer appear on the face of the building as was the stated design. [SEE Google street PHOTO included below of 540 Sutter Street today]
- The above images are the only record of the MacNeil work presently found. Other evidence may be uncovered in subsequent searches.
Mr. Tolerton wanted the facade of his new Art Gallery on Sutter Street in San Francisco ornamented by two “sculptured placques”. He commissioned MacNeil, a sculptor of the Pan Pacific Exposition of 1915, to make these reliefs of Pan and Minerva to grace his new Art building.
One of Pan — the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, rustic music and impromptus, and companion of the nymphs. He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr.
The other of Minerva — the goddess of wisdom, war, art, schools, and commerce. She was the Etruscan counterpart to Greek Athena.
THESE TWO ICONS MARKED TOLERTON’S NEW BUILDING AS AN ART CENTER. [ They do not appear in the street photo captured below from 2020 ]
No trace of the MacNeil bas relief panels of Pan and Minerva at 540 Sutter Street, San Francisco in this 2020 street photo via Google maps. Perhaps they were originally in the space high above the doorway and window a century ago in what now appears as stucco finish. SO, … PAN & MINERVA still remain hidden in the 21st century — if they still exist at all!
SOURCES:
- “Two Bas Reliefs by Hermon A. MacNeil”, The International Studio, Ed: Charles Holmes, et. al. Vol.59, p. lviii. from Google Books on 1/3/2021 at https://books.google.com/books?id=q09aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR58&dq=Pan+Minerva+san+francisco+Mr.+Hill+Tolerton+1916&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWheuZtYPuAhVWZc0KHWyZDScQ6AEwAHoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=Pan%20Minerva%20san%20francisco%20Mr.%20Hill%20Tolerton%201916&f=false
- “A New San Francisco Gallery”, American Art News. Vol. XIV, No. 33, New York, May 20, 1916. p. 1.
